By Barbara Henry
North County Times
May 18, 2006
CARLSBAD
---- It will require more than a dozen permits and months of
work, but Carlsbad has decided to pursue a program to add
extra sand to the beach.
The city's Planning Commission voted 6-0 Wednesday evening,
with Commissioner Courtney Heineman absent, to issue city
permits to allow Carlsbad to participate in an Opportunistic
Beach Fill Program. Next, city staff members expect to spend
six months obtaining state and federal permits.
Once
the permits are in hand, the city will be able to take
unwanted sand ---- if it meets pre-set city standards ---- and
dump it along South Carlsbad State Beach south of Palomar
Airport Road and north of the mouth of Encinas Creek.
"Opportunistic sand is the low-cost option ... because
it's somebody else's stuff (they want) to get rid of,"
said the city's project consultant Chris Webb as he described
the program.
Unlike the San Diego Association of Governments' $17 million
sand project in 2001, it won't bring millions of tons of sand
to the beaches all at once.
Instead, it is estimated to provide up to 150,000 cubic yards
a year.
But that steady dribble of sand could have a long-term effect
when combined with efforts being considered by other coastal
communities in the region, Webb said. Oceanside and Solana
Beach are both considering similar programs, he said.
Remarking that they remember the trouble the city had with
red, clay-filled sand dumped on the Encinas Creek area beach
in 1996, planning commissioners had many questions Wednesday.
Among those were where the sand would come from and what its
quality would be.
Jennifer Jesser, who works for the city's Planning Department,
said the city will have standards on everything from sand
grain size to the time of year that the excess sand can be
deposited. Sand deposits won't be allowed during the summer
months, she added.
Webb and city employees said the sand will come from the
coastal region.
Recent projects that could have provided sand include the
freeway interchange work at Poinsettia Lane and an underground
parking garage in Carlsbad's downtown area, they said.
One project mentioned earlier this year by city employees was
the Rancho Carlsbad creek bed dredging. Sand from that
flood-control effort is being sold privately because permits
weren't in place for the city to use it on the beach.
As the commission proceeded toward a vote Wednesday night,
Commissioner Julie Baker said she hopes the program turns out
to be as good as it is forecast.
Commissioner Bill Dominguez said he supported it because the
region's beaches have lost so much sand over the years.
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